Unreceived
by fevildevil
Summary: Chat Noir finally musters up the courage to confess his feelings to Ladybug… but decides to do it as Adrien. If she rejected Adrien, at least he wouldn't have to sacrifice his relationship with her as Chat Noir. His plan was full proof! Wasn't it? Based on comic by hogeky on Tumblr.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: This is a fic based off of a comic written and drawn by hogeky on tumblr by the same name. Please go there to view images and support her comic!**

 **Permission was received to write this fic.**

This wasn't the first time Adrien had written a letter to her, and it wasn't likely going to be the last. Even still, he mentally scolded himself for his momentary lapse of will power. He'd lost track of the amount of times he told himself to stop.

"I can't believe I wrote this again," he groaned. Plagg looked up from his meal at the comment.

"Are you talking to me?" he asked hesitantly, only mildly concerned for Adrien's mental well-being. Adrien shook his head and brought his elbows to sit on his desk, resting his chin in his right hand and picking up the letter with his left.

He looked tired. He felt tired. But it was the kind of tired he put himself through every time he sat down to think about confessing to the love of his life. Without responding to Plagg, he continued as if nobody had spoken.

"What if she doesn't feel the same way? I want to tell her but, what if it ends our friendship? It'll ruin everything." Ladybug had been turning Chat Noir down for as long as he could remember. He couldn't imagine any reason why this would suddenly change just because he wanted to give her a love letter.

Realization struck him. Ladybug would continue to reject Chat Noir as she always had and he had everything to lose if she began to distance herself as a result of his feelings.

But _Adrien_ had nothing to lose.

She would at least be gentle in letting him down, if nothing else.

* * *

Making sure he had packed and held onto the newest variation of his love letter everyday had become something of an obsession for Adrien. No matter where he went, he held it with him, in case he ever had the chance to see his Lady love. The thought of potential failure plagued him very often. It was a way of bracing himself for the worst outcome, and he hoped to be pleasantly surprised instead of heartbroken.

What came as a surprise to him was that Ladybug had been swinging off to some unknown destination the very same day he decided he needed to go out for a walk to clear his head. He was staring at the ground with a strange sort of intent while he walked, trying very hard not to think about the letter that seemed to be burning a hole in his bag, and failing.

It was the flash of red that emerged from his peripherals that brought him back to reality. Flashes of red had been doing that a lot to him recently, but this particular flash or red was the one flash of red he had actually been looking for.

Adrenaline pumped furiously through Adrien. He could hear the blood roaring in his ears, nearly drowning out the intelligible thought that attempted to communicate with the rest of his body.

 _There she is._

 _I have to call her._

 _Call her._

 _Just say her name_

 _Just do it._

With a deep breath, Adrien ripped off the preverbal band-aid.

"LADYBUG!"

He could make out the jerking motion of her body mid-swing. If it were physically possible, he could imagine her comically arresting in the air, only to turn around and return to him. Why he was distracting himself in such a way, he had no idea.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" he continued, reaching a hand up to catch her attention.

Landing on the side of building, she pushed from it, swinging back down to meet him. She stood before him, eyes expected and waiting. Silence fell between them and both were reluctant to speak.

Adrien could feel every part of himself drop into his stomach.

"Sorry for wasting your time on something like this," he began, turning to open the messenger bag he had around his shoulder, "but I already made up my mind." He fumbled through his bag, nervous. Taking the letter in both hands, he all but thrusted it out toward her. "I want to give you this." His eyes depressed a hole into the ground, too nervous too look into the blue of hers.

Ladybug's eyes widened behind the mask and he could hear the breath she sucked in at the sight of the envelope. It took her a moment to think of anything to say. When she opened her mouth to speak, Adrien decided he could not handle her silence any longer.

"Please don't think I'm a weird," he continued, still refusing to look at her. I know nobody does these kinds of things anymore but, I hope you'll accept and read this."

The silence that followed was suffocating. Adrien could feel his lungs giving in from the anxiety. Shocked, Ladybug took the letter from his hand without a word. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.

With his best model smile, he grinned blindly at her with all his might, hiding any sense of insecurity he felt.

"Please read it properly." Ladybug opened her mouth to speak, but he had no intention of being rejected before she had even read his feelings. Not wanting to stick around while she read it, he hastily walked past her.

"Adrien," she began, but he had already walked by, the wind he created with his speed picking up the scent of her; of sugar and flowers. Blood filled his cheeks fiercely and he sped away as fast as his legs could carry him.

* * *

Marinette stared intently at the envelope in her hands, seeming to bore a hole through the paper trying to see through the writing. She could feel the tension in her face and it began to feel uncomfortable, but she couldn't relieve herself from it. It wasn't as if she couldn't open it. It had been addressed to her. Or rather, it had been addressed to her alter ego.

No, it was not as if she could not open the letter, it was that she was too nervous and scared to open the envelope.

Adrien had given Ladybug a letter and she didn't know what to do. It seemed obvious its contents, but she really hoped for anything else. Anything but…

"Open it already," Tikki said, flying out in front of Marinette's unmoving eyes. She had watched for too long to let her continue to make up her mind.

"I'm really scared," Marinette replied, her voice a whisper. "What if it really is what I think it is?" Tikki shrugged.

"You won't know until you open it." Marinette sighed deeply. _Here goes nothing,_ she thought, and slipped her thumb beneath the envelope's lip.

Her heart was racing as she unfolded the sheet.

 _I know this sounds really cheesy, but I really don't have any other words to express my feelings for you. There is no need for any other words except for these:_

 _I LOVE YOU._

 _I love you more than you can imagine, and I'm closer than you think._

 _A.A._

 **Author's Note: Chapters posted on Tumblr (myladyladybug), FF (fevildevil), and Ao3 (fevildevil).**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: This is a fic based off of a comic written and drawn by hogeky on tumblr by the same name. Please go there to view images and support her comic!**

 **Permission was received to write this fic.**

The Parisian night was quiet, a calm city free of mischief, and a crescent moon to decorate the starless sky. Ladybug rest her head on her hands as she stared out into the dark horizon, thinking thoughts that plagued her.

She was waiting, but she could not silence her mind as she waited.

"Good evening, My Lady," a voice greeted from behind. Ladybug took a deep breath at the sound of her partner's voice. He approached to stand next to her, leaning on the ledge of the flat roof. "What's the matter? You seem to be lost in thought," he observed, a smile on his face.

"Really?" she responded, still staring out into the sky, a little nervous that she appeared to be so obvious.

"Did something happen?"

"I wonder…" Without falling over the side of the building, Chat Noir did his best to put himself into her line of sight as she refused to tear her eyes off of the sky.

"You know, you can always talk to me." She turned to look at him, only a little surprised at the realization as to how much she had come to trust him over their years, and how prepared he was to help her.

"Why are you so clingy," she commented, meaning to tease him.

"Oh My Lady, I'm just worried."

"About what?"

"A potential love rival?" She hesitated before speaking again, lowering her head to rest in crossed arms atop the ledge.

"Well, you're right about that, Kitty. I received a love letter from someone."

"That's why you're so down?" Chat Noir tried his best not to cringe away at his own insinuation, but she didn't seem to noticed him regardless, too preoccupied with her own thoughts.

"No, it's just, it's really weird because we know each other in real life." If it were possible for one's jaw to entirely dislocate due to shock, his would have.

"WHAT?" he shrieked. In the time span of perhaps 2 seconds, Chat mentally went through a list of every woman he had ever known, narrowing his list of perspective Ladybugs down from the entirety of Paris, to his own social circle. The blood in his face seemed to run from his cheeks and into the pit of his stomach.

"Chat?" Ladybug said, knocking him out of his trance like state. He shook his head violently, clearing his mind before speaking lest he say anything terribly ridiculous. Of course, he had no such luck.

"What!" he exclaimed again, drawing out the vowel for much longer than necessary. "What do you mean you know him? Like, you're friends?"

"Yes," she replied simply, utterly confused as to why he seemed to be freaking out. Seeing this, he attempted to sober up. Clearly, he had said things that seemed terribly ridiculous, contrary to his earlier efforts. Chat Noir looked out into the city, taking deep and calm breaths.

"Is he…" he began, hesitating in fear of how she might respond to his question, "Is he so horrible that his letter upset you this much?" His voice was barely a whisper but he looked at her as he spoke.

Marinette thought back to Valentine's Day; the day she had found Adrien's discarded draft of a love letter. She had fished it out of the trash bin in the classroom and could barely make out what had been written, despite his absurdly neat handwriting.

"Do you really think he would write a Valentine's Day letter to me?" she had asked Tikki after her kwami planted the idea in her head.

"Of course Marinette, who else would it be for?" Tikki replied. Marinette didn't blame Tikki. It seemed the obvious answer, but now she realized she was wrong.

Technically, it _had_ been for her. He had been describing her. Jet black hair, eyes blue as the sky. She had to wonder about his comment in seeing her everyday, now that she knew it had not been for Marinette, but she had been so certain. She had been so sure that Adrien's Valentine was for her; was for Marinette.

Not for Ladybug.

"No," Ladybug sighed. "It's not his fault. Let's just say the real me got something wrong. It wasn't meant for me." Chat Noir leaned in ever so slightly in interest of her speech, but even with that, he could not make out her last sentence. There was enough sadness in her eyes, however, to put him on edge.

"What?" he cried, his confusion knowing no bounds. "What did I? I- I mean, what did _he_ do wrong?" When she didn't reply, he wanted to erase the entire incident. He felt like he could cry. No, he definitely wanted to cry just a little bit. He swallowed back at the swelling in his throat. "You could just, forget the letter, and…"

Her ears pricked at his words. A rage went up Ladybug's spine and cluttered her brain. She couldn't believe that he would even suggest such a thing! Truly, he could only think of himself. Of course he would want her to forget his competition.

"Why can't you act like a normal person and try to understand me for once!" she screamed, leaning in aggressively as he took a step back. Thoroughly frustrated, Ladybug swung off, back to her home and away from Chat Noir. It took him a moment to bring himself out of the shock of being yelled at.

"Ladybug, wait!" he called, but she had long since gone. "I didn't mean it like that."

* * *

"That stupid cat!" Marinette yelled at no one in particular. "Who does he think he is! I never should have told him, he never takes anything seriously!" She stomped along the streets of Paris, determined to blow off steam before going home. It likely wasn't wise to walk through the door angry, especially since her loving parents would interrogate her on the matter. At the least, they would be worried over a problem she knew they could not fix.

Of course, this had nothing to do with the fact that Marinette forgot to bring extra cookies for Tikki, and that perhaps her kwami was tired. It had nothing to do with that at all.

"I don't understand Marinette, why are you so upset?" Tikki's voice chimed, her head popping up from the small purse she resided. "You _are_ Ladybug, which means the valentine was still meant for you." Marinette sighed deeply.

"It's not about whether I'm Ladybug or not. It's just, well… _I,_ Marinette, I'm in love with Adrien. And I want him to like me for me, and not the superhero version of me he barely even knows. Ladybug is me, but Ladybug is not the part of me I want Adrien to like." Her eyes had lost their focus and her feet ran on autopilot. She wasn't quite sure where she was going anymore. "Because he will never ever know that I'm…"

"Hey kid!" a voice interrupted. It was aggressive and muffled, but startled her all the same. Marinette turned around to face a man in all black, wearing a bandana tied over his mouth. Only the glint of his eyes and the pale skin around it could be seen. In his hand, was a small knife. "Give me your bag, and no one gets hurt." Her body tensed, eyes flickering to the small bag to which the mugger was referring. A bag that currently contained a tiny, magical, bug-like creature. _What do I do? Tikki's still too tired for me to transform._ Glancing down, Marinette ran through a thousand and one scenarios, and yet only one thing stood out in her mind.

 _I have to protect Tikki at all costs._

 **Author's Note: Thank you so much for all the positive feedback I received from the first chapter! I'm so happy to know people are enjoying it. I wanted to reiterate that none of the plot is actually mine, and belongs solely to hogeky. I'm only filling in a couple of blanks and interpreting. If you love the story, please let her know!**

 **For those asking, I did tell her about the first chapter and she loved it! :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: This is a fic based off of a comic written and drawn by hogeky on tumblr by the same name. Please go there to view images and support her comic!**

 **Permission was received to write this fic.**

 **Thank you to** **Misheru Haruno for correcting my misuse of the word chagrined! Fixed it~**

 _I have to protect Tikki at all costs._

Marinette went speeding down the back alleys of Paris.

 _What should I do? Just run?_

Her lungs were beginning to protest, as was her heart, though for two different reasons. Adrenaline pumped through her faster than she would have liked, and it made thinking very difficult. As Ladybug, she could have at least had the power to fight back. But as Marinette… her options were limited.

"You can't get away from me in this part of town, Little Missy!" her attacker called from behind her, his voice growing closer. He was right.

 _How did I end up in the worst part of town? I can't keep running forever._

She looked ahead into the seemingly never-ending street.

 _The alley is long, he'll catch up in no time._

Marinette clenched her eyes shut and clenched her teeth.

 _I just have to FIGHT._

When she felt that he was near enough to her, Marinette came to a halt and whipped her leg up into the air with the full intent to knock her attacker in the face with the heel of her foot. She let momentum take the weight of her leg into the air and added as much muscle as her tired body would allow.

And yet it had all been for naught.

As a reflex, the man in black caught her leg with his right hand, allowing it to strike his left arm. Unfortunately for her, he was also able to angle the knife in his free arm so that it dug significantly into a gash right above her knee.

Blood rushed from her cheeks and seemed to pour out through the wound. Alarms sounded in her mind and she could feel the burning pain split through her entire being.

There was little time to panic or consider the agony blooming through her as the man reached out and grabbed at her exposed and defenceless neck. Marinette's body went slack, the nerves in her system in too much shock to function. The gash at her leg was starting to go numb, but had also somehow dispersed the pain away from the injury and to the rest of her body instead.

"I just want your money kid, so stop struggling. Give me your bag and it'll all be over." His voice was sounding more and more faint to her ears while she hung in the air by her neck. It didn't help that there wasn't a terrible amount of oxygen reaching her brain.

 _I can't move… it hurts…_

Marinette held desperately onto the arm at her neck, pushing down as much as she could to alleviate some of the weight at her spine. Through the blur of the tears forming in her eyes, she could see his gaze dart to the side of her head briefly.

"I'll take these pearl hair-ties while I'm at it." There was an annoyingly triumphant tone in his voice; a tone she wished she could beat out of him. The mugger reached out and pulled at one of her pigtails, causing a light pain in her head. "Hey, look at that, they come with matching pearl earrings too. Jackpot." Any remaining blood in her cheeks fell into the pit of her stomach, and she went cold, her eyes widening in panic. He seemed to enjoy the look on her face. It only made him want the earrings more.

 _No! What can I do? It hurts too much to move! I can't move! I can't!_

"Don't worry kid, I'm just going to take this and leave." He sounded serious. He was done with her. Done with hurting her and done with dealing with her. He was probably leaving more tracks than he had intended. Marinette could feel her heart in her throat. She wanted to throw up. Shutting her eyes as tightly as she could, she fought back the tears of defeat that threatened to spill over.

But his hand never touched her ear. She felt nothing at all. In fact, instead of feeling anything, she heard something first.

A loud _thwap_ sounded through the air, and the release on her neck was a great relief. What was less of a relief was the sudden collapse of her person onto the pavement below. Her knee burned harshly as it made contact with the bits of debris on the ground. A part of her could feel the bacteria entering her wound, needle like prickles decorating the gash.

Eyes open now, she watched her attacker grab the side of his head, a glaring look on his face.

"Who the hell!" he exclaimed. His grip on the knife tightened as he turned to look for his aggressor. Behind him, stood a very irascible Chat Noir.

* * *

Sometimes, Chat Noir wished he hadn't had such clear night vision. Sometimes, there were certain things he wished he hadn't seen. One of those things was the blood that covered his classmate's pantleg. The other was the pure, unadulterated fear in her eyes. He hated that he could make out the tears at the edge of them. He hated that she seemed to shake and shiver. He hated that she looked so weak and abused, half of her hair taken out of it's usual appearance.

He hated all of it. And he was about make the man that did this to her, pay.

His breath was ragged, not because he was tired, but because he was angry. Chat Noir stared down the man, who had not long ago been lifting Marinette up by the neck, with eyes full of hatred and fury.

"You're dead."

Without realizing what he had done, or what he was doing, Chat Noir's baton had flown back and forth several times, making contact with the mugger's face more often than he had initially intended. This did not feel like an issue to him. He found himself unable to stop for a while. This still did not feel like an issue to him.

The mugger deserved it. He deserved to be hurt for hurting Marinette. He deserved all of it.

But Chat Noir was a superhero. Regardless of what this man deserved, he had a reputation to uphold.

"Run." The mugger didn't have to be told twice. Given the opportunity, he high-tailed it out of the alley as fast as his wobbly legs could carry him.

Chat Noir watched until the man left his sight, and sighed deeply. He had to calm himself before going back to Marinette. She was probably frightened out of her mind. In fact, he was probably the last person she'd want to see, given that she had just watched him beat a man down. His eyes slowly rose to look at her.

"Marinette, I hope I wasn't…" There was something in him that didn't allow him to speak anymore. A gut wrenching sense of guilt perhaps. Or maybe it was fear and regret. Fear that she would fear him, and regret that his actions had been so vulgar.

Marinette was looking up at him from her seat on the floor of a back alley in Paris, and there was distress in her eyes. There was weakness in her expression. He approached her with extreme caution; as if her fragility would cause her to crack and fall to pieces at a breath of air.

"Mari…" he whispered. And that had been all it took.

Gone was her shock. Gone was her mask of calm and steadiness. Gone was any sign of strength. And all that had been left for him was her.

Despite the laceration in her leg, Marinette limped rather quickly into him, wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning into a desperate embrace. She shook violently and sobbed. He could feel the wetness on his shoulder. Slowly coming out of his own shock, he returned her grip, taking in all of her fears and worries.

He wanted to take them all from her. Even though he barely knew her. Even though they were only a little more than acquaintances, something in him wanted to protect her and make all this pain disappear.

In the midst of her sobbing, she was speaking. She was thanking him. And she said words that made little sense to him, but he didn't say much in return. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know what to do. He only knew he wanted to do something; anything to make the pain go away.

"How are you always there when I need you."

 **Author's Note: I've only had small to medium sized wounds, never anything major. For this description, I exaggerated the time I scrapped my shin on a piece of metal so badly that it didn't bleed for a solid ten seconds. It was just white for a while. I don't think my body realized it had even been cut… Lol nobody needed to know this but there is it.**

 **I changed a couple of details in this chapter but it all kind of makes sense…**


	4. Chapter 4

**post/155492583444/unreceived-part-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8**

 **Author's Note: This is a fic based off of a comic written and drawn by hogeky on tumblr by the same name. Please go there to view images and support her comic!**

 **Permission was received to write this fic.**

 **Here comes the drama my friends…**

To say that Marinette was embarrassed with herself was an understatement.

She had just bore her heart out to her long-time partner, who didn't know he was her partner.

She just sobbed in front of someone she trusted, but he had no idea why she would trust him; at least not beyond the fact that he was given the trust of Paris daily.

She just hugged a superhero who she watched beat a man who had attacked her. This was conflicting, but to be saved for later.

What filled her thoughts presently was the fact that that very same superhero was in her bedroom late at night, tending to her wound. Marinette sat at the edge of her chaise lounge and watched Chat Noir wrap a strip of gauze around her leg.

"Thank you for bringing me home Chat," she said, breaking the silence the hung between them.

 _Though, you didn't have to carry me all the way…_

She had probably been heavy, and dead weight. The memory of it was embarrassing.

"Don't thank me," he replied, giving her no room to say much in return. His narrow green eyes never left the bandages. "Does it hurt?" he asked, diverting what little conversation they had made. His fingers were careful not to graze her bare skin, and the wrap was snug.

"A little," Marinette admitted. Even the air was stinging the open wound. She watched him intently while he treated her.

 _Why do I feel so nervous?_

"All wrapped up," he announced, though with a rather apologetic tone. He really had nothing to apologize for. In fact, the idea that he had felt apologetic somewhat irked her. She took a deep breath before speaking, looking at him unblinkingly as he settled himself on the floor in front of her.

"I _want_ to thank you," she repeated. He deserved it, even if he didn't seem to want it. "If you didn't save me, I don't know what would have happened. I don't think I could thank you enough." Chat Noir's eyes drifted, a sign that he was shy and uncertain of how to respond to her thanks. Or maybe he was still mulling over the thought that he didn't deserve it. Marinette could just make out the pink that tinted his cheeks beneath the mask and concluded that it was a mixture of both.

"Are you okay? Is something bothering you?" she asked when he hadn't made any verbal response. His body tensed at the sound of her voice. His mind must have wandered for him to be shocked at her being there.

"N-no," he stuttered, "what makes you think –." His sentence didn't have a chance to end before he noticed how close her face had come toward his own. Somewhere between then and now, she had leaned toward him so her face was only about a head away, which was really much too close. He jerked, but he didn't move away. There was a look in her eyes that drew him to her; a sense of familiarity and closeness.

"It's all in your eyes," she explained, as if it was terribly obvious. His gaze rested a second too long on her endless blue stare, and it was an effort to pull away from it. That extra second sent a wave of panic through him, followed closely by a pinch of guilt. He flung himself back and away from her, his limbs flailing from their cross-legged position.

Only when he had moved a comfortable three feet back from her was he able to look away, but he could do nothing to hide the flustered look on his face. Unfortunately, he was very well aware of that.

Marinette sat confused, running a hand loosely through her hair, where the second hair-tie had long since been discarded. His behavior was admittedly rather cute, but she had lost track of what he could have been thinking and therefore had no more understanding of his actions.

 _There was nothing like this in the anime and manga I read!_ Adrien panicked. _What do I do now?_

"What is it? Are you okay?" Without another word, Chat Noir dashed toward the window, wanting quickly to end the conversation. Nothing had prepared him to be in these sorts of situations or feel these sorts of feelings. He needed more time to think. "Don't run!" she cried. "I want to know what's bothering you. I want to help!" He stopped in his tracks at the sound of her words. "I want to make you feel better." The last sentence was a whisper of sound, and he could sense the sincerity in it, but it didn't make him feel any better.

"Why," he breathed. His eyes remained fixated on a spot on the window, finding an intense fascination with the details of it. It was all he could do to attempt to distract himself from the negative feelings that seemed to fill him. "Why would someone like you, who doesn't even know who I am, care?"

Marinette's lips thinned. It took every impulse in her body not to shout out her answer. Even if he was her best friend, he had no idea who she was, and it had been her own desire for secrecy that stopped her from helping him now. He took her silence as a sign to continue. "Even from the beginning, no one ever cared about me. Only one person did, and I wasn't even able to protect them." Thoughts of his mother blossomed forth.

"Even the girl I love doesn't care about me." He paused. "I guess she thinks I'm annoying." Again, there was nothing Marinette could say. It wouldn't have come as a surprise to her if her lip began to bleed, with how nervously she began to bite it. She tried not to feel guilty for making him feel so terrible. For so long she thought he had been okay with her rejections, but it made sense that such things would wear down on even the most optimistic and persistent of people.

"So why would you," Chat continued, "of all people, care about what might be hurting me?" His hands clutched into fists in her peripheral vision. "Maybe it's just an act of kindness to the guy who saved you. I don't know."

Marinette wished she could reach out to him. Her heart ached at the sight of his back. She wanted him to turn and face her. She wanted to hug him, warm him, and comfort him. She wanted to apologize. She wanted to apologize as Ladybug for making him feel this way. But then what would she do? Her apology was useless if she had no intention of reciprocating his feelings. It would only make him feel worse, knowing that she felt rotten because he was upset. There was no solution to this. At least, not a solution that would make them both happy.

Her arms wrapped around her torso, holding everything together where her mind could barely manage.

A slight beeping sound could just be made out by both ears.

"I don't understand it," he said, wrapping up as quickly as he could. It was then that Marinette got her wish. Chat Noir turned his head to face her, his body moving toward the window. There were tears in his eyes, and an expression on his face she never wanted to see. Hurt filled every detail of his visage, and in turn, pain flew to her chest. She didn't think he realized that his voice was cracking, yelling through his tears. She didn't think he realized how scared he sounded.

"Why would you care about scum like me? Someone who couldn't even save you from being injured?" She didn't know what to say. She hadn't realized that he had been feeling this way for so long. The only thing that she felt she was allowed to do was look back at him. His lips thinned and he faced the window once more. "Goodbye Marinette." He had leapt from the ledge before she could even consider stopping him. She took a deep breath, pushing past the hollowness in her chest, and the lump in her throat.

"Chat…" Her words came out in a sigh. Marinette sniffled and swiped at the tear that sat at the edge of her eye aggressively. "You stupid cat. I care about you more than you could imagine."

 **Author's Note: This chapter was so difficult to write OTL. Most of the pictures were of dramatic silences, which I had to fill with dramatic thoughts, which didn't exist in the comic itself for dramatic reasons. DRAMA. Anyway, I hope I got it right. (Also, I moved around a couple events… it felt more dramatic!)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: This is a fic based off of a comic written and drawn by hogeky on tumblr by the same name. Please go there to view images and support her comic!**

 **Permission was received to write this fic.**

* * *

It was dark.

It was exceedingly dark and Adrien couldn't figure out why. He wandered about, fumbling in a darkness he could not see his own hand in. It was unnerving to experience, especially as he had become so spoiled by Chat Noir's night vision.

"Where am I?" he wondered out loud, though it was in fact unclear as to weather or no he had moved his lips.

"Don't touch me!" an angry female voice screeched. The sound of it sent painful shivers up and down his spine. It was not the owner of the voice which scared him, but the tone. Something in it's expression made him want to whimper.

"Mom?" he cried, now walking in the direction of his mother's voice. It was an unsteady pace, and he seemed to be waddling ever so slightly.

"You ruined my life!" she continued. He wondered to whom she was speaking, but he could only walk closer. A narrow stream of light poured harshly into the darkness, and Adrien was drawn toward it. "And you'll ruin his life too!"

"Don't bring Adrien into this!" It was his father's voice that countered hers. Adrien couldn't help but cringe away just a little bit. He wasn't sure how, but he knew he was young again. He knew that he would only stand at the height of the door handle in front of him. He knew he was watching his mother argue with his father again, as he had the night he couldn't go to sleep.

The door frame at which he stood loomed over him.

"If you care so much, let us go!" she yelled. She had sounded more demanding than he had ever heard her.

"Mom?" Adrien heard his voice whisper.

"Adrien?" Her voice was had lowered, though the sound of desperation had not left it. Two sets of eyes darted toward him, but he only looked into hers. His mother's face had been warped with sadness, tears streaking her flushed cheeks, hair damp with sweat and tears. She was trembling as she tried to put on her warmest voice. "What are you doing here? Go to bed!"

Adrien would never forget the look in his mother's eyes. Something about it felt so raw and vulnerable that he was scared for her. He, a small child at the time, fearful for his mother.

"Mom!" he cried. His hand reached out to hold her, but by then, there was nothing but a bright light. There was nothing more to see. There was nothing more to do.

 _Take care of yourself my sunshine._

"Help!" a girl's voice screamed. The sound was enough to bring him back from the nothingness, and it rung in his ears.

There was Marinette, and the man who held her up by the neck. Adrien's voice burst out of his chest, thrown out without a second thought. He ran toward her, fear filling every fiber of his being.

"Don't touch her!" His voice cracked, and it was then that he realized that there were tears in his eyes. Despite his running, he got no closer. This only made him want to sob.

Even from the distance, he could make a significant fact that seemed to freeze his blood. She wasn't moving this time. No part of her moved. She hung limply in her attacker's grasp.

Then the burglar spoke, though he couldn't be sure it was him who was speaking.

"You couldn't save her. You won't be able to save anyone."

"LET HER GO!"

* * *

Adrien didn't remember falling asleep.

Jerking up from his bed, he grasped at his bedsheets, grounding himself to anything he could find. His heart was pounding, and he struggled to catch his breath. Sweat dripped down his temples.

 _It was just a dream. It was just a dream. It was just a nightmare._

 _Marinette is fine._

He must have screamed, because Plagg came rushing to his side.

"Hey! Are you okay?" his kwami asked, a hint of panic in his voice which came so rarely, Adrien was touched. "You were screaming all night." As much as he was touched, it did little to improve his mood. Frustrated with his dream, and himself for having it, Adrien threw his covers to the side and made way for the window. "Hey, where are you going?"

"Plagg… Transform Me!"

* * *

"Marinette." Tikki floated up between the girl and her desk, suppressing a yawn that threatened to interrupt her.

"What is it Tikki?"

"It's getting late, you should go to sleep!" the kwami suggested. Marinette shook her head as she looked down at the paper laying on her desk, only a line of scribbles decorating its face.

"But I have to write a reply to Adrien's letter." She sighed deeply, slinking down her arm until her chin met the desk. "I've been putting it off long enough." Sighing again, she turned her cheek to the paper. She had heard somewhere that if one sighs too much, they'd sigh all of their happiness away. At the thought of it, she quickly shut her mouth. "I've stayed home from school for a week healing from that injury, and I've had a lot of time to think about what I want to say."

"Are you sure Marinette? Maybe you should take more time…"

 _Tap! Tap! Tap!_

Marinette's nerves shot right through her spine and she jolted up from her desk, the paper falling away from her face as she did. Tikki rushed to hide.

"Salut Maman! I'm going to bed now!" she cried out in a panicked response. But there was no word from her mother. The tapping only continued, as if whoever was trying to get her attention couldn't hear her. "Maman? Is that you?" Marinette called out. Still, there was no response except for the raps that came in threes.

"It's out there!" Tikki's voice sounded, floating over to the far wall of the room. Marinette turned around just in time to miss the bright green light that glowed in the window, but she did however, hear the buzz of magic that accompanied it.

"What is going on out there?" she wondered out loud, her brows furrowing with curiosity. She reached out and whipped back the pink curtains to find… nothing.

The only thing beyond her window was the street below and a view of the roofs beside her home.

"There's no one out here?" She wondered if it had been a bird. When she opened the windows, fresh air poured into her room. Marinette stuck her head out, searching for anything nearby that could clear her suspicions and satiate her paranoia.

It was only when she looked down, and her heart nearly stopped from the shock, that she was given an answer to her question. Having leaned out from her room far enough, she found herself face to face and inches away from Adrien Agreste, hanging off of the ledge of her window, up on the third floor of her home, in his pajamas.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Dreams are hard to write but this was super fun. Having the visuals already there makes the imagery easier obviously lol. Also, sorry for the delay on this chapter. Been working on Secret Santa things (participating one and organizing another…), and job things so… yes.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: This is a fic based off of a comic written and drawn by hogeky on tumblr by the same name. Please go there to view images and support her comic!**

 **Permission was received to write this fic.**

* * *

"Sleepwalking?" Sabine exclaimed, incredulously.

Marinette couldn't exactly hide from her mother why she had screamed, especially when she had come running into the room to check to see if she was alright. By then, the girl was helping Adrien crawl in through the window and had turned around mid way to see her very shocked mother. There were worse situations to be found in.

He nodded slowly, embarrassed by his poor excuse for having appeared at Marinette's window on the third story of their home in the dark of night.

 _Plagg, I am going to kill you for this…_

He had every intention to see Marinette. He had no intention to see her as Adrien.

As soon as he had begun tapping at her window, Plagg decided it was a brilliant idea to detransform, leaving him stuck at the sill to wait to be resuced. Adrien was going to make sure the kwami didn't receive a speck of camembert for at least a week. Only plain cheddar or mozzarella for the devious thing.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Dupain-Cheng, I don't know what came over me," he apologized meekly, rubbing at the back of his neck.

"It's okay dear," she replied. "I'm just glad you came to _our_ house instead of a strangers!" A blanket seemed to materialized in her hands and she wrapped it around him, her motherly warmth making Adrien want to sob just a little bit. "I'll call your dad and let him know you're here."

Uncertain as to how good an idea that might have been, Adrien simply agreed. "Uhm, thank you very much."

"While I'm downstairs, does anyone want any macrons?"

"No thank you! I've already disturbed you enough tonight," said Adrien. It was at that moment that his stomach chose to outright betray him. A loud whale like noise erupted from the depths of his gut, causing a look of surprise to blossom forth on every face in the room, his only differing in its painful shade of red. Sabine giggled.

"I'll take that as a yes. Make yourself at home dear." She left without much more of a comment, and Adrien was alone with Marinette. They sat in silence for a moment, neither knowing what to say. He had just come uninvited into her home through the bedroom window. He really didn't know what _could_ be said.

"Sorry again Marinette," he attempted. Her eyes widened at the idea that he could be apologizing to her. Flailing her arms in an attempt to appear unbothered, she tried her best not to look anxious. This, to nobody's surprise, was not the most successful of tasks.

"It's okay, I wasn't sleeping anyway!" she spouted.

"At this hour of the night?" he replied innocently. Marinette bit her lip and decided to sit down next to him. She couldn't tell him why she'd been up so late, since doing so would reveal some very personal information on her part.

"Yea, uh, I was doing… my homework," she fibbed. She wasn't sure whether or not he believed her, but he didn't miss a beat responding.

"Oh right, I guess you would have loads since you missed a week of school."

"Yep. I hurt my leg so I had to stay home while it healed." It was mostly true.

"Really? Are you okay now? Does it still hurt?" His concern for her made Marinette's heart flutter ever so slightly. She silenced herself aggressively in her mind.

"It's healed over," she managed. The scar was going to last, and there was a mild and dull throb, but she didn't need to tell him that. It would only cause unnecessary worry.

"Oh gosh, that's a relief." The two fell into a stillness that slowly became less bearable. Clearly, Adrien had been enjoying the absent conversation, regardless of its topic. It looked to distract him from the fact that he was currently sitting in her house at a likely unwelcome hour.

'I guess your father must be worried sick," she commented, breaking the tension that slowly built in the air. Almost immediately, his expression darkened. His gaze ran from her eyes and to his lap, shoulders tensing and aura unapproachable. A hand rushed to scratch his head with a bit of belligerence; perhaps an anxious mannerism.

"I doubt it." His voice was curt. Marinette's heart sank. "He didn't care about my mom, and he sure as hell doesn't care about me." She frowned and bit her lip, holding back the lump in her throat. "I just wish he'd forget about me too." There was an audible sharp inhale, followed by a shaky release of breath. He was clearly holding back so much emotion.

"Adrien, I'm sorry," she started, reaching a hand out to place on his shoulder. "I didn't mean to –." Before Marinette could even register what had transpired, Adrien's hand had swiftly taken hold of her own, their fingers laced together.

Panic was the first thing to fly through her mind, shocked by his sudden movement. That same panic morphed into a flustered feeling, her heart pounding through her body. When she was able to regain some semblance of consciousness and awareness, she could just make out the tear that threatened to fall from his eyes.

"I'm scared," he confessed breathily, looking scornfully at his lap, his hand holding hers tightly, tethering him. "I'm scared that I'll lose everyone; everyone who's dear to me. I'm scared I'll lose them all again." Adrien's grip on her never faltered, and she could feel his fear through it. She wanted to hold him, to tell him that she wasn't going anywhere, that he didn't need to hold on so tightly. "I lost my mother because of him," he continued. "And now, he wants to separate me from my friends." Finally, he tore his eyes out of their empty gaze to look at her, his expression sending pain through her chest. Her breath was heavy now, as she felt the swell of empathy and suffering in the pit of her stomach. His last words were a whisper. "And I will be alone again."

Marinette hadn't realized it before, but there was dampness on her cheeks. When Adrien looked at her, dread ran through him.

"Marinette?" he cried in alarm. "What's wrong? Why are you-? I-!" Her other hand grasped his in a movement so fierce, it sent a jolt through Adrien.

"No!" Her voice was ferocious and stubborn. "I swear you'll never be alone. No matter what happens." There was a sort of finality in her statement, and he wanted to believe every word of it. Blue eyes pierced his gaze and nothing could tear him away from the sight of them. "Nino, Alya, and the rest of the class will always be there for you, no matter what your father says!" Feeling a slight uneasiness for speaking for others, she mended her statement. " _I_ will never let you feel lonely."

The tears that Adrien had been trying to hold back broke through in that moment. There was nothing left he could do. There was nothing more he had ever wanted to hear.

"I don't know what happened to your mother," Marinette went on, trying not to let the sight of his sadness deter her speech. Truthfully, she was surprised that her speech was not already deterred by his mere presence and vulnerability. "But believe me when I say, that the only way it will feel better is if you tell your father what's on your mind. Be honest with him. And more importantly, be honest with yourself."

A moment of silence fell upon them as Adrien took in what he had just been told. Suddenly, both of his hands were around hers, and he turned to face her head on, eyes closed, his forehead bumping hers.

"I guess you're right," he said finally. "But if I'm going to tell _anybody_ what's on my mind, it'd be you. I want you to be the first to listen." Marinette, who was still in shock that Adrien's face was centimeters away from her own, warmed at the thought that he trusted her so dearly. Her eyes closed as a sign of her trust.

"Gladly."

She wasn't sure how long they stayed that way, holding hands and leaning on one another, but it felt serene. Eventually, she pulled away slowly and looked up at him. A breath of laughter escaped her lips when she caught sight of the state of his hair.

"What? What is it?" Adrien asked, thoroughly befuddled at her spontaneous burst of laughter. Obviously, his shock had nothing to do with the fact that she looked ever more charming with such a genuine smile on her face. Obviously.

"Your hair suits you that way," she noted. "It reminds me of someone kind and gentle." Adrien brought a hand out from beneath the blanket still wrapped around his shoulders and touched the muss of hair on his head.

 _Huh? Oh. My hair's messy like it is when I'm Chat Noir…_

"You think so?" he grinned, ridiculously pleased by the idea that Marinette thought Chat Noir was kind and gentle. Some things never ceased to amaze him, and in this case, some people.

He couldn't have been more grateful to have Marinette in his life.

* * *

"Yes, he's here. Yea, he said he had some sleepwalking problems," Sabine explained. Gabriel Agreste was surprising calm given the situation, but she did her best to explain regardless, assuming the calmness was due to the knowledge that Adrien was in fact safe and sound. He would likely want to talk to his son, or at the very least, she thought, Adrien would like to speak with his father. Mrs. Dupain-Cheng entered the room, still speaking idly, and halted mid sentence when she realized what she had walked in to find.

Her heart melted at the sight of the two teens sleeping on the couch, the blanket shared between them, and heads rested on one another. Her favorite aspect of the view being the hands she saw entwined casually amid their pose.

"Hello?" the voice from the phone called. Sabine stepped out of the room soundlessly, pulling the door shut as she did.

"Uhm, Mr. Agreste," she whispered, "I think it would be better if Adrien stayed with us for the night."

* * *

 **Author's Note: Sorry for the lateness of the fic. A lot of work and scheduling things have come up and on top of that I've been working on a Secret Santa fic as well (which will be posted after the event is over though before Christmas Day). Sorry for the delay but I am definitely still working on this!**

 **P.S. if there are any continuity errors at this point, please feel free to tell me! It's been a while since I've been writing this and I might have missed something. Don't feel bad, I know I make mistakes and would rather know and fix them.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: This is a fic based off of a comic written and drawn by hogeky on tumblr by the same name. Please go there to view images and support her comic!**

 **Permission was received to write this fic.**

* * *

Marinette woke groggily, her neck and back aching as she opened her sleep filled eyes. Joints popped and muscles stretched. It wasn't the first time she had fallen asleep on the couch in her room, but she would have thought she'd learned not to by this point. It always resulted in sore everything for at least two days.

Today's awakening differed ever so slightly, in partial to the warmth she experienced on the left side of her body. Curious, her eyes shifted over to see the blond head of hair that sat messily atop a sleeping face. In a manner most painful, Marinette's eyes widened and she woke in mind as well as body. The panic sent a shot of adrenaline into her it took too much of that energy not to cry out with an inappropriately loud voice.

"Wha-?!" she gagged. Immediately, her hands went to cover her mouth, reacting faster than her consciousness.

 _It wasn't a dream._

Hands still untrusting of her voice, Marinette leapt from his side, fearful of waking him with her shock. Evidence of her body next to his took form of an indent in the couch, and a ghostly shape where the blanket had rested on her shoulders. There was obviously a person missing from the view, and she wondered how long Adrien would be able to stand it before waking. She checked up on his hesitantly, not wanting to be caught staring, but for a moment, it was all she could do to tear her eyes away from his sleeping visage.

 _We fell asleep._

Her eyes lingered, observing his calm expression, and allowing the situation to wash over her.

 _He looks so peaceful._

A part of her realized that he must have been waking up, because a smile quirked onto his cheeks. This part of her was likely not a conscious part of her, since Marinette continued to stare at him until his eyes slowly opened, and she was found standing from a distance, displaying an intense amount of prolonged eye contact.

Adrien opened his mouth in an attempt to dissolve the tension, but never got the chance to make a fool of himself, as Sabine called from the lower level of the house in a volume that only a mother could achieve.

"Kids! Come down and eat breakfast, or you'll be late for school!"

For a moment, neither of them responded, allowing their hearts to catch up with the shock of the situation. Before they could think to make another move, Sabine's voice rang out once more.

"Oh, and Adrien! Eat quickly and get dressed. Nathalie will be picking you up!"

In no time at all, Marinette and Adrien cleaned themselves up and were sat at the breakfast table with lovely displays before them. And yet, regardless of the bountiful amount of food, neither found it in themselves to touch any of it once the realization had settled in that Adrien was having breakfast at the Dupain-Cheng home.

Nobody made eye contact; Marinette focused on a spot on the floor beside her, Adrien stared intently at his food, and M. Dupain-Cheng was absorbed with the morning paper. The silence was nerve wracking, and Adrien gripped at his seat with the desire and fear of breaking it. Even though he wanted to say something, he found himself unable. He had been brought up so long not to speak unless spoken to, particularly in cases of being in the presence of strangers, and particularly in the presence of adults. Not only that, but he had also been an imposition to Marinette and her parents, and regardless of their kindness and seemingly willing hospitality, it still made him anxious at the thought that he had burdened anyone at all.

Tom caught sight of the boy who appeared to be sweating himself into a fit. He could practically see the thin string of his sanity about to snap. The side of his mouth twitched into a smile as he amused himself with the idea that this boy felt uncomfortable in his home. He had no reason for this discomfort (or rather, at least no reason Tom could fathom) and thus was creating panic for the sake of panic.

The large man reached a hand out to place on Adrien's shoulder, causing the blond to jolt at his touch.

"Don't worry about a thing, son," M. Dupain-Cheng chuckled, "Any friend of Marinette's is like family to us." The strain in Adrien's shoulders and face visibly relaxed, and in his eyes were a look of awe, confusion, and longing.

"Of course, you're always welcome," Madame Dupain-Cheng cheered, appearing behind them with a smile on her face. "Come visit us anytime you want!" Adrien's lips thinned. A part of him couldn't fully understand the scope of their kindness, and he truly didn't know how to respond to it. He wasn't sure how to feel. Even if he decided that he _did_ know what he wanted to do at the end of it all, he wasn't sure if his father would ever approve of his choices. Their kindness would all have been for naught, regardless of his decisions, and he hated that.

His father. He had almost forgotten.

"Uhm, excuse Madame Dupain-Cheng," Adrien asked tentatively. "May I ask how you convinced my father to let m stay the night?" The smile on Sabine's face remained unfaltering, which only gave it a more worrying impression to everyone at the table.

"We just had a little talk," she said, her reply curt, but her voice infallibly sweet. The colour drained from his face, partially in fear of what Madame Dupain-Cheng had said, partially in fear of how his father had handled it, and partially in fear of Madame Dupain-Cheng in general.

"Maman! What did you do?!" Marinette cried. Still her mother's smile remained.

"Don't worry dear. We just talked like grown ups!" Sabine repeated, walking back behind the kitchen counter. Tom leaned closer to the two at the table.

"If your mother goes 'grown up' mode, you can expect trouble," he jested in a mock whisper.

"Dad!" Marinette shrieked. The level of embarrassment in the room had risen to an all time high and she was not having the best of times, especially when Adrien looked as shell-shocked as he did.

"So honey, are you going to the game tonight?" Sabine interjected, her tone terribly cheerful.

"Of course! It's the finals!" Tom replied.

"You're changing the subject," complained their daughter. Lightheartedly, their conversation continued as if she hadn't spoken. Both were enjoying this tremendously.

"I got good seats too!"

"Oh!" Madame Dupain-Cheng exclaimed, bringing out a tray from the oven. "Kids, take these macarons to school. We made them fresh this morning. Hope you like them!" Marinette got up to help her mother in packing the pastries away and Tom remarked on the smell of the room. Adrien remained seated and gathered himself.

There was something about where he sat that made him want to cry. His seat alone was not particularly uncomfortable, nor was he in any physical pain. But still, the pit of his stomach felt hollow and a lump formed in his throat. Marinette was commenting on the macarons, but he couldn't really hear her anymore. Above the hollow feeling, was an ache that pounded strongly in his chest. There was warmth, a warmth that filled him indefinitely and melted his entire body until every muscle relaxed into nothingness. And yet there was also pain, a pain that yearned for… this; everything that this was. A pain that yearned for the jolly man that welcomed him into their home with such ease. A pain that yearned for the gentle woman who defended him and cared for him. A pain that yearned for a girl who cried for him when he felt that he could not cry for himself.

Adrien looked over at the three having a conversation beside him. Despite his lack of reciprocation, they never spoke as if he were not in the room. In fact, currently, Marinette's parents were teasing her about the fact that a boy had snuck into her room at night and whether or not they should be worried. He smiled.

 _So this is what a real family looks like._

* * *

 **Author's Note: Hello friends! I have reached a point in life where job stress (or lack thereof) has taken over, so writing is going to be very slow. In fact, shit hit the fan mid chapter, but I still need to write to get some piece of mind so, don't worry about that. No big deal! Sorry for delay and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Also, I totally realize I called Sabine "Mrs. Dupain-Cheng" earlier, but I'm changing it now to Madame, only because French.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: This is a fic based off of a comic written and drawn by hogeky on tumblr by the same name. Please go there to view images and support her comic!**

 **Permission was received to write this fic.**

 **… one look at this chapter in the comic and I had NO IDEA HOW TO WRITE IT so… here.**

 **I had to close this fic's document for so long because I had to start a new job and lesson plan like nobody's business. I'm not finished… but I didn't really want to do work so. HERE'S CHAPTER 8! :D**

* * *

Adrien didn't know what to do after having had the best breakfast he'd eaten since… well, the best breakfast he'd eaten in a long time. It was somewhat sad to think about, but it didn't cancel out how wonderful it was. Mornings felt better this way. They felt warmer and fuller and better.

He could tell Marinette didn't think much of it. No one in the family thought much of having breakfast together. They didn't have to. And he didn't think any less of them for not openly being grateful for what they had. He was sure they were always grateful to be together, even if they didn't say; assured by one another's presence, comforted by the fact that it was a normal and happy morning.

He just wished he could always have… this.

* * *

"Marinette, you should go get dressed or you'll be late!" Sabine pressed from the kitchen sink.

"Okay Maman!" Marinette replied. Without paying much attention, she rose from the table, brought her emptied plate to her mother and began to make her way to the stairs. Panic struck Adrien as he realized she was about to leave. Quickly, he reached out to grasp the edge of her shirt.

"Uhm… Marinette!" he called. When she turned to look at him, he suddenly had trouble explaining himself. His gaze drifted to the floor occasionally as he spoke. "I don't… I don't want to go home and risk running into my dad. And, I didn't exactly prepare to stay the night… so, I was wondering if you could let me borrow some clothes so I could go straight to school."

Marinette hummed thoughtfully. She wanted to help, but she didn't exactly have any clothes off hand that would fit him. Though, maybe she did.

"I've got an idea!"

* * *

Adrien emerged from the bathroom and into Marinette's room clad in a simple green sweater with a zippered breast pocket, and a pair of skinny black jeans.

"Marinette, these look amazing!" he exclaimed, admiring himself in the mirror. She smiled and slipped away to change as well, leaving Adrien to pose dramatically before his reflection to best regard the clothing. He hadn't been so excited to receive new clothes since… well, since he first started modeling. "I can't believe you had something like this made for your personal collection."

"Calling it a collection might be a bit of an exaggeration…" she muttered modestly, returning to her room. They had been clothes she designed specifically to be a bit baggy and large on herself. She was only lucky that they had fit him so perfectly. Adrien spun around to face her, wanting to fully express his enthusiasm.

"No really, thank-." At the sight of Marinette entering the room, Adrien's words trailed into emptiness, his jaw falling a little slack.

"So…," she began, clearly nervous, yet amused by his silence, "how do I look?" Marinette's clothes were carefully chosen as the outfit she would have worn on her first theoretical, hypothetical, imaginary date with Adrien. She had had it prepared for a while now, and it was finally of use. She simply hadn't known that this was how he would have come to see it. The sleeves on the light pink blouse were rolled up a third of the way, and it was tucked loosely into a darker, and bolder, pink A-line skirt. Black heeled boots tied the outfit together in a comfortable, cute, and classy look.

But what really pushed him over the edge was the sight of Marinette's hair flowing freely around her, shaping her face so kindly that he had to remind himself of what it meant to be coherent. It was true that it wasn't the first time he had seen her hair down, recalling the night he had rescued her and her pigtails had been torn away, but this was different.

"Amazing!" Adrien blurted, his voice rushing out with a breath before he could even think of what to say. "You look amazingly beautiful!" Every word was genuine, and he couldn't have thought of any other way to describe her. Clearly, Marinette knew what clothes complimented her, and what styles she best suited. It showed greatly her talent in design. In a way, Adrien was proud to say that she looked beautiful.

It wasn't until her cheeks turned a vivid red, and she slapped her hands to her face to hide them that he had realized how forward he might have come on.

He had most definitely sounded like he was flirting with her. Not that that would have at all been a bad thing. And it was not as if he had not been honest with her. Truly she was beautiful. And her clothes were beautiful. Both were beautiful. Not that her clothes had made her beautiful. She was inherently beautiful, regardless of the clothes. There hadn't been a time when he hadn't thought her beautiful. And the fact that he was only now telling her this did not necessarily mean that he was flirting with her. But again, not that he would never flirt with her! It was only that, he had never considered. He was her friend. And there was Ladybug. But if not… "I-!" Adrien stuttered, trying to form the words to amend the situation.

"Adrien! Nathalie is here!" Sabine's voice rang from the lower levels. Marinette's visage was still flushed when he tried to use her mother as a reason to diffuse the tension he had created. He smiled, rubbed at the back of his neck, and reached a hand out to her.

"Let's go, I'll give you a ride to school."

"N-no, you don't ha-!" Marientte faltered, her limbs refusing to cooperate as they appeared to try and stop her head from falling. His smile grew.

"Don't worry about it! Come on," he insisted, taking hold of her hesitant hand, "I want to spend more time with you."

* * *

 _After that day, we started spending a lot of time together, getting closer and closer with every passing moment._

 _Even with Chloe on my heels, nothing could ruin my time with him. Nothing could take the smile from my face. Nothing could remove my desire to make sure that his smile never left his._

 _Even with Chloe, and even with that letter._

 _It wasn't difficult to convince Alya and Nino that we wanted to sit together._

 _It wasn't difficult to convince them that we needed more excuses to be together._

 _And it wasn't difficult to convince anyone that we were happier together._

 _But even despite the happiness that grew more than I could have ever imagined, I knew there was no avoiding the inevitable._

* * *

 _I didn't realize it at first, but every moment I spent with Marinette only made me feel that I was growing very attached to her. And that it would hurt to let go._

 _And that I had no desire to let go._

 _Going out with Nino and Alya was more fun when it she was there._

 _Modeling clothes was more fun when she was there._

 _Everything was more fun when she was there._

 _Everything was more fun. And warm. And happy._

 _And I could tell that all she did was care about me, and look to me to make sure that I was okay; to make sure that I was happy. And, even though I hadn't realized it before, it was all I had ever wanted, and all I had ever craved. It was what I've missing ever since… ever since mom left. And she somehow gave all of that to me._

 _Looking back, it wasn't just having breakfast with her family that had made me feel this way. It was her. It was always her._

 _Being with her, I'm happy._

 _And things were finally getting better._

* * *

"Done," Marinette announced, mostly for her own benefit, as she sat at her desk in her empty room, looking down at a sealed, pink envelope. Tikki flew to her side and stared at the two envelopes that sat side-by-side, each a little foreboding, considering the mood. Marinette had finished her letter; she had finished her response. Her eyebrows furrowed, a fresh wave of anxiety filling her chest.

"Marinette, are you sure?" Tikki asked. "You know you can't just-."

"Tikki," Marinette interrupted, not needing anything to make her worries worse, "I know. But it has to be done."

Her eyes wandered over to the photographs that newly decorate the area around her desk. Pictures of her and Adrien littered the space, the most recent being one they had joyously taken in a photo booth. But her favorite had been framed, and sat squarely on next to her computer. In that one, his arm had been wrapped around her shoulders, and they were looking at each other. He had thrown up a peace sign, and although everything about the image looked friendly, she felt that it was so much more than that. It looked to her like development, and closeness, and trust.

Marinette sighed heavily. "I just can't go on like this anymore."

* * *

 **Author's Note: I'd like to point out that I have no idea what is in her letter, and that I am not privy to any future things, so… hopefully nothing I've written so far is contradictory to what will happen**.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: This is a fic based off of a comic written and drawn by hogeky on tumblr by the same name. Please go there to view images and support her comic!**

 **Permission was received to write this fic.**

* * *

The ladybug sticker stared up mockingly at Marinette. She had placed it there as a signature of sorts on the pink stationary, and now that she was about to give it away, she was scared. Biting at the inside of her mouth, her brows furrowed as she worked up her nerve. She was going to do it. She'd already written it and she was going to do it. She was going to deliver this letter; this reply.

Her heart pounded painfully in her chest; her breathing irregular. She swallowed, hoping to dampen the dryness of her mouth. She had to tell herself there was no going back. She had to tell herself that or she might not go.

Marinette didn't recall calling Tikki over, but she floated by silently, waiting for the girl's decision.

 _It's time to go._

She was over the rooftops before she had even realized it.

 _I hope everything goes well…_

* * *

"You know, you'll have to say something to her sooner or later," Plagg pressed. Adrien was lounging rather happily on the couch in his room before his kwami decided he had to speak up.

"Say something? What are you talking about Plagg?" Adrien replied, his attention briefly pulled away from his phone. Plagg sat pointedly on the screen and stared unbelievingly at Adrien.

"Don't act dumb. You're perpetuating your own stereotype." Plagg turned and swiped at the face of the phone to reveal the lock screen contents. Marinette's smiling face peered up from Adrien's hand and he sat up, his cheeks reddening, and huffed. It had been a photo he had taken recently of a walk they had gone on together. It had been such a pleasant day that Marinette insisted that he take a photo of her in front of the view past the Seine. It simply had been she hadn't been made aware that he had cropped the picture to his preference and glanced at it occasionally.

Plagg laughed at the boy's misery before he was caught mid cackle.

"Adrien, look!" he cried, pointing off into the distance outside the window. Adrien's hands were over his eyes, meaning to cover the rising heat in his cheeks.

"Stop teasing me Plagg!" he whined, not at all refuting his kwami's earlier implication, regarding Marinette (and not having the energy to refute the comment on his profession).

"No you idiot! Look behind you!" Hearing the alarm in Plagg's voice, Adrien turned with a mild amount of panic. Perched on the edge of his window was Ladybug, entering with what she believed was practiced stealth. She froze when he noticed her, still sitting on the widow's ledge. For a while, they stared in silence. Adrien's mind had seemed to fizzle out, while Ladybug's was running a mile a minute. His eyes bulged from their sockets, his jaw went slack. Beginning to feel more than mildly uncomfortable, she continued her descent to his bedroom floor.

"I'm sorry for intruding," she started. When he didn't reply, her eyes drifted to the ground. "I'm here to return something."

"Return?" Memories rushed through Adrien's brain, searching for anything he could possibly have leant to the superheroine. They rarely even interacted outside of him being Chat Noir. In fact, the last time he had even spoken to Ladybug as Adrien had been…

His body jolted at the memory, and Ladybug rubbed at the back of her head, chuckling nervously.

"Uhm… yea," she said. It occurred then to Adrien that he didn't really want a response to his letter. His mind flickered back to what Plagg had mentioned not moments ago. Truly, he wasn't sure he wanted a response at all. Ladybug had hardly crossed his mind in the last while and he hadn't even begun to notice. He'd been too busy giving his attentions to…

"I… I don't. I mean, I uh. What? I, I don't know what you're…" he struggled, chuckling awkwardly, his eyes looking everywhere but at her. The possibility that he could have been even thinking of rejecting his long-time crush seemed foreign to him, and his body appeared to act a fool in protest. Something in the pit of his stomach was hollow, and for some reason, he was scared.

"I'm sorry," she interrupted. Adrien stopped mid stutter. She sounded as scared as he felt.

"What? What are you talking about? I don't..." Before he could bring himself to say another word, Ladybug produced a pink envelope, and he stared. Unfortunately, his suspicions had been spot on.

On the other hand, it had been the first time he had seen Ladybug so terribly bashful. Of course, there had been times before when he had seen her flustered, or embarrassed, and uncertain. But never bashful. Her strong gaze was submissively averted to the ground, her free hand behind her back, her head slightly bowed. Adrien thought that he must have been dreaming to see the confident Ladybug he thought he knew trying to hide herself in everyway possible except to duck under his couch or leap from the window's ledge.

Taking the letter in both hands, she thrust the paper toward him, her eyes finding intense fascination with a spot on his floor he was sure to investigate later on. He feared her lip would begin to bleed from the vigour with which she bit it.

"I'm so sorry," she began meekly, "for not replying sooner." He hoped his jaw hadn't gone as slack as he felt it drop. Blue eyes slowly gave him their attention. "I hope you can forgive me. And accept my letter."

Not without hesitation, Adrien eventually lifted his hand in a trembling fashion. He watched as his arm seemed to move on its own, his mind falling separate from the limb. When he reached the letter, he stopped. Breath shaking, Adrien closed his mouth, hating the sound of his indecision. The he inhaled so deeply his lungs burned, and pulled his fingers away from the letter.

"I… I can't."


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: This is a fic based off of a comic written and drawn by hogeky on tumblr by the same name. Please go there to view images and support her comic!**

 **Permission was received to write this fic.**

* * *

Marinette stood utterly mortified. What could he mean by refusing to accept her letter? It couldn't be that all of his affections had vanished, could it? Her jaw tightened and a pang went through her chest. She lowered the hands that held out her overdue reply, defeated by his expression.

"Please don't apologize," he went on. "I should be the one apologizing for what I've done." His breath was a deep and heavy sigh. "I… I lied." Ladybug's grip tightened and she felt the bite of her nails in her palm. "I lied about loving you.

"A lot has changed during these past few weeks. I finally started to understand my own feelings." In honesty, he felt extremely guilty for having given Ladybug the letter at all. He loved her. Or rather, he loved her in the way that he knew of love. There was no denying that. But to ignore so much of what he had in front of him, and to change his mind so quickly, it didn't seem right. But he couldn't take it back either. He loved Ladybug. But he loved Marinette more.

"What I felt for you… it wasn't love," Adrien confessed. "I understood that after getting to know _Her_." His eyes shifted briefly to his bookshelf, where he kept a photo strip he and Marinette had taken together not long ago. It was the first time he had ever taken one, and she had been jokingly offended by his confession, extending an offer to pay for a strip. It had become one of his favorite things from Marinette, falling second only to the lucky charm he had received from her.

"When I think about, I'm not sure any words could express how I feel about her," he continued, remembering his own letter that he had given Ladybug weeks ago. At the time, the shocked expression on the superheroine's face reminded him fondly of Marinette's flustered behavior. It was humourous to consider. He seemed to have a type in that regard. "Actually, it's funny, but, she resembles you a lot."

Ladybug's lips thinned, and she bit on the inside of her cheek. This wasn't fair. How could she have been so blind as to wait for this long. Of course his feelings would have changed, especially since she had been avoiding him. But in Ladybug's place, Marinette was filling his time. Wasn't that enough? The feeling filled her chest with a warm pain, and the flow of emotions made her want to cry. It wasn't fair.

"To be honest, it was always her kindness and caring nature that made her so amazing. And the way she showed it that made her so unique. She's incredibly bold, brave, intelligent, creative, and just, amazing. I know I already said that, but… she is. And she was all that by just being herself." Adrien's eyes became unfocused, and she wondered just what he was thinking about. Probably fondly remembering something about _her_. Someone who was not Ladybug or Marinette. Probably. Hearing his description of his newest love, Marinette was dejected.

"It's what made me fall in love with her in the first place." The look on his face wrenched at Marinette's heart. It was a look of apology, longing, and complete and utter adoration. He was smitten, it was plain on his face.

It just wasn't fair. How could she fight against such a look? She bit her lip nervously, thinking through her decisions with care. Looking down at her own letter, she wanted to cry. Who did he like? Who could it possibly have been? She herself had been with him almost every time he had been allowed out of the house. Did he have a secret crush that Nino knew about? She'd be sure to grill him later; after she went home, cried a lot, and eaten through every bit of left over baked goods in the store. It wasn't his fault but it didn't mean she wouldn't cry. She thought back again to how she felt when she had first received his letter.

 _Even though you had no idea how Ladybug would respond, you didn't give up. You just wanted to let me know how you really felt._

She looked down at the envelope in her hands.

 _And that's exactly what I want too._

"Please read it no matter what," Ladybug started suddenly, stepping forward to grab Adrien's hand and place her letter in it. She did her best to ignore the complete and utter shock that crossed his face as he looked down at her. Despite her determination, it was difficult to hide the swelling in her throat. She couldn't cry now. Not only would it be unfair to Adrien, but her pride was at stake!

"I read your letter properly! Why can't you read mine?"

* * *

 **Author's Note: I WILL PREVAIL. I WILL WRITE. IT WILL BE FINISHED. Hogeky is almost finished with the original as well and the final chapter is coming out (13). It's looking good so far and I will get through this! Thank you for everyone who stuck around. Your patience is such a gift to have.**

 **Also, sorry this chapter is so short. Not much happened in it and the inner monologue I originally gave Marinette contradicted with the next few chapters so I had to remove it.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: This is a fic based off of a comic written and drawn by hogeky on tumblr by the same name. Please go there to view images and support her comic!**

 **Permission was received to write this fic.**

* * *

Adrien looked down at the pink envelope in his hands.

"I read your letter properly! Why can't you read mine?" she said, a hint of tears in her voice. He could hardly bare to look at the hurt expression across her face and it surprised him that she even wore it. This letter, it meant a lot to her for him to read it, just as his letter had for him.

He supposed he should.

He wasn't sure what he was expecting though. Would it be worse to receive a rejection or a confession? If Ladybug was rejecting his feelings, guilt would eat at him for days, but at least he could throw himself wholeheartedly into his feelings for Marinette. Then again, if she had come to reject him, she wouldn't have looked so nervous and intent on making him read her letter.

What would he do if she was confessing to him?

Accept her? Deny any of his developing emotions for Marinette? Date a super-heroine without ever learning her identity?

Or reject Ladybug? Adrien wasn't even certain he could reject her. For how many years had he loved her, only to have his feelings snuffed. And to now possibly learn of her feelings toward his civilian self? Would it even be right for him to accept? Would it be right for her to love him? Questions swirled through him, causing his stomach to simultaneously sink into the pits of his body, and push its way up his throat.

Adrien peeled back the ladybug sticker sealing the letter with agonizing slowness.

 _Dear Adrien,_

 _Thank you so much for letting me know your feelings and giving me time to figure out my own. I am sorry for being so late with my answer. I don't think that you'd be able to receive or understand my true feelings by just reading a letter. I prefer you hear it from me personally._ _I hope you believe me when I say I have known you for quite some time now, and from the beginning, you have always been the one. I want you to know something I've been dying to tell you all this time._

The letter ended without conclusion, somehow providing more questions than answers.

"What?" Adrien muttered, reading the letter over again before raising his head to speak. "What are you - ." What he was faced with, stole every sentence, every breath, from his lips.

"I wanted to tell you this for a while now," Marinette began, her voice ringing in the numbness of his ears. She stood smiling simply, as if this were rather modest and without extraordinary interest.

Though perhaps she only looked that way because every fiber of her being was fighting to keep from shaking.

"Adrien," she continued, "I… I love you."

He was fairly certain he had ascended into another plane of existence. His mind went soaring, flashing through every single thing he had done in the past few months, lingering on the fact that he had given a love letter to Marinette, fallen in love with her while simultaneously falling out of love with her, and then rejecting her in order to date her.

It was all very confusing.

But it didn't matter. Well, it didn't matter at the moment.

The only thing that mattered right then and there, was that he loved Marinette. And that she loved him in return.

What else could he do but want to hold her.

Except nothing this good ever happened to him. Could it really be her? Could he have been hallucinating? Could he have been dreaming?

Adrien hardly realized that he had gone to her; hardly realized that he was inches from her face, staring into the depths of the fear in her eyes; searching for a familiarity he had already found, but was too terrified to accept.

"It's really… it really is you."

* * *

 **Author's Note: Short chapter yes, I know. A lot of tension drawings and such. I changed up the physical bits of the last part of the story, making it a little bit more romantic because words wouldn't translate the emotion correctly… Also, the story is almost over! Hogeky is posting the epilogue!**


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